Lhe minister will arrive on the evening of the 15th and will have an interview the next day with his counterpart Nasser Bourita”said a spokeswoman. “They will discuss all the subjects of the bilateral relationship”, she added, citing in particular the visa file. A press conference is scheduled at the end of this bilateral meeting.
In September 2021, Paris decided to halve the entry permits granted to Moroccans, citing the kingdom’s reluctance to readmit its nationals in an irregular situation in France.
This measure, referred to as“unjustified” by Rabat, from“humiliating” by humanitarian NGOs and “great clumsiness” in French-speaking Moroccan circles, has been poisoning relations for a year.
The spokeswoman did not specify whether the Sahara file would be discussed during the trip to Colonna, which should make it possible to prepare for the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in January.
The Sahara conflict has opposed Morocco’s Polisario Front, supported by Algiers, for decades. The Polisario calls for a self-determination referendum while Rabat promotes autonomy under its sovereignty.
As part of an agreement negotiated by former President Donald Trump, the United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the former Spanish colony in December 2020, in return for a resumption of diplomatic ties between Morocco and Israel. Since then, Rabat has been insistently pushing France, which has always supported Morocco in this conflict, to recognize in turn the Moroccanness of the Sahara, as Spain has done.
A sign that relations seem to be on the way to appeasement: following several months of vacation, a new French ambassador has been appointed.
This is the current director general of Business France, Christophe Lecourtier, who received approval from the Moroccan authorities on Tuesday, the quay also told AFP on Thursday.
(with AFP)
